I think I saw a video or movie on Oscar Perone...I believe he has a lot of Africanized Honeybees and this type of hive...leaving it alone ...and taking honey once a year is probably best. I think he takes it at night. But I sure do like the idea of never entering the brood chamber, and leaving them their own honey supply. But I am a Newbie...so what do I know.

lay a line of tires in the shape of the three walls you want. fill with dirt. pack the tires will wetting. then stack another set of tires offset of the one below it. pack it with dirt then reapeat to the height you want the walls. then mix some mud and fill in the holes and then you have a packed and stacked wall of tires on three sides. :laugh:

You must be itchn' for an argument, if you did not sense the sarcasm in BjornBee's reply. his comments had so much dry humor and sarcastic tone I rolled my eyes and chuckled. Only to eye roll and laugh more when you called him out on not applying the universal rules of science.

" I hope your comment on not challenging others and embracing every variety of snake oil was being ironic or even better a wind up"me thinks you got your hope. ;)

You said: "if works use it? The ends justify the means? - child labour works, so does fear and terror. Is stressing bees into producing large amounts of honey ethically sound?"

The fact is if it works, that is reason to investigate why it works. That is the scientific model. If we already know exactly what is best, not much reason to use science. In the end I agree with the bottom line of BjornBee sarcastic statement. Others, go ahead and try it, I would be interested to hear your experience, but I'm not willing to: 1) let my girls swarm in hopes i can lure or find the swarm to put into a new hive, or 2) hive bees in a place I can not inspect for disease which may threaten my other hives, or hives of my neighbors.